DESCRIPTION: In order to develop a tailored, practical, and efficacious smoking cessation intervention that starts with a behavioral platform and offers the potential for pharmacotherapy (in this instance, nicotine transdermal therapy using Nicoderm CQ®), 84 subjects ages 14-21 were recruited for this 24-week study. Participants reported smoking at least 5 cigarettes daily in the month before entry into the study and initiation of smoking at least 6 months before entry. All youth received 6 weeks of cognitive-behavioral motivational enhancement (CBME) and were offered up to 4 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
OUTCOMES: Participants reported significant declines in withdrawal and nicotine dependence scores during the course of the study period. Compared with baseline, youths reported lower scores on the MNWS (withdrawal) and CDS-12 (dependence) at the last intervention visit (week 6) and at each of the follow up visits (weeks 12, 16, and 24). In addition, youths self-reported smoking fewer cigarettes per day in the preceding week (7-day smoking point prevalence) at each of these study points compared with baseline smoking.